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Week nine of the college football season is almost here, and this weekend's slate is packed with good games. There are numerous matchups featuring top-25 teams this week, and they will all be crucial as the race for the College Football Playoff is heating up. One top-25 matchup this week that should be interesting features Dylan Raiola and the Nebraska football team traveling to take on Ohio State. The Cornhuskers are having one of their best seasons in awhile, but they aren’t quite on the Buckeyes’ level. Ohio State lost their last game against Oregon, but they are still one of the best teams in the country and they are a national title contender.
The Ohio State football team was on a bye week last week, but they traveled to play Oregon the week prior. The Buckeyes lost, and they are now hoping for a bounce back win against Dylan Raiola and Nebraska. The Cornhuskers are currently 5-2, and it will be very tough for them to go into Columbus and come out with a win.
Before we talk more about Raiola and his predictions for this game, let’s take a deeper look at both of these teams.
Ohio State needs a bounce back win
Both of these teams are coming off of losses, but the Ohio State football team is the squad that has the good chance of bouncing back. The Buckeyes are the more talented team, and they have their home crowd behind them.
Ohio State is currently 5-1 on the year. They have been dominant outside of their loss against Oregon, and they will likely get a rematch with the Ducks in the Big Ten title game. However, their only concern right now is taking care of business against Nebraska.
Quarterback Will Howard had an unfortunate end to the Oregon game as he accidentally ran the clock out at the end of the contest, and he and the Buckeyes are looking to bounce back.
The Nebraska football team needs one more win to make a bowl game
This might not sound like a very big deal, but it is for Cornhuskers fans. It has been nearly 10 seasons since the Nebraska football team made a bowl game. This is year two for Matt Rhule, and he needs to break the streak. He is just one win away from doing so, but it will be tough to get it in this one.
Nebraska is currently 5-2 on the year with a close home loss against Illinois, and a blowout road loss last weekend against Indiana. The Cornhuskers should’ve beaten the Fighting Illini, and they would be feeling pretty good sitting at 6-1 if they had.
A win against the #4 team in the country would be a great way to bounce back from that ugly loss last week, but it’s unlikely. They will need a huge game from quarterback Dylan Raiola. Here are three predictions for his performance:
Dylan Raiola will throw for under 150 yards
Dylan Raiola has done a great job as the QB for Nebraska this year, especially considering that he is a true freshman. However, he has shown some freshman struggles, and he hasn't played against a defense close to as good as this Ohio State defense. Being in this hostile environment won't help either. He will struggle.
Dylan Raiola will throw at least one interception
The Ohio State football team is going to be playing angry this weekend after their loss to Oregon, and this defense is going to force Raiola into at least one mistake. They are loaded with talent on the defensive line and the secondary, and they will be trying hard to pressure Raiola. If they are successful, he will make a mistake or two.
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Dylan Raiola and Nebraska will get blown out
It's looking like Nebraska will get to that six win mark this year, but Cornhuskers fans are going to have to wait at least another week to see it happen. Nebraska showed last week that they aren't quite ready to compete with the best of the best as they lost by 49 to Indiana. Ohio State is on a different level. The Buckeyes will win 45-10.
Nebraska and Ohio State will kick off at noon ET from Ohio Stadium in Columbus, and the game will be airing on Fox. The Buckeyes are currently favored by 25.5 points.
Other notable week nine matchups
This matchup between the Ohio State football team and Nebraska could end up being a close one, and there are a lot of other good matchups across college football this weekend as well. Let's take a peak at the slate.
ESPN's College GameDay heads to the biggest game of the week every week, but they sometimes will choose another campus to hit more schools that don't typically get as much attention. They will be in Bloomington this weekend as Indiana is 7-0 and hosting Washington. The Hoosiers are hot, but there are definitely some bigger games this weekend.
Starting in the ACC, 5-1 Syracuse will take on undefeated #19 Pitt on Thursday night. That's a huge game in the conference race. We also have a rivalry game on Saturday as #6 Miami will be hosting Florida State. The Seminoles are 1-6, so this was expected to be a better matchup when the season began.
There are a couple intriguing matchups in the Big 12 as well. Kansas and Kansas State will get together for a rivalry clash, and the Jayhawks will look to spoil the Wildcats' season. Also, Cincinnati at Colorado under the lights in Boulder will be a good one as well.
The Big Ten has a lot of good games this weekend. Washington at Indiana is obviously an intriguing one, and this Nebraska at Ohio State game that we discussed is one to watch as well. In the afternoon, #20 Illinois at #1 Oregon is the one to watch, and then there are a couple good night games as well. It's rivalry week in Michigan as the Wolverines will host Michigan State, and #3 Penn State has a tricky road test against 5-2 Wisconsin.
In the SEC, there are three top-25 matchups this weekend. #21 Missouri will visit #15 Alabama, and the struggling Crimson Tide need a win. #5 Texas will look to bounce back from their loss against Georgia as they will travel to play #25 Vanderbilt. Lastly, #8 LSU will visit #14 Texas A&M under the lights.
Not done yet! Teams not in conferences matter too, and we have a top-25 clash between #12 Notre Dame and #24 Navy this week. Buckle up, week nine is going to be fun.
